Means for folding collar corners



Nov. 29, 1938. H. c. UNDERWOOD' 2,138,222

MEANS FOR FOLD ING COLLAR CORNERS I Filed Nov. 13, 1934 T1 Min W IHH m M f z .W

m. mu m w O dlfilw ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

Among the principal objects which the present invention hasin View are: Toprovide improved means whereby a perfect point to a collar or the like is obtained; to provide a hook and step in the slidable folder blade to prevent overlapping of the material in forming the point of the corner; to provide other means in conjunction with the folder blade in forming the collar point; and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description:

Drawing Figure l is a plan view of the machine and having one edge turning mechanism thereon and embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure l and showing the inturnecl fold by the sliding or folding die sections;

Figure 3 is a plan View of one sliding die with other parts of the machine removed;

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan of one corner of the sliding die and one corner of the collar as the fold is completed;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the sliding die showing the hook and step; and

Figures 6 and 7 are perspective views of one cor ner portion of the collar showing the one edge before folded and after being folded.

Description As seen in the drawing, I have shown part of a collar-folding machine it] for purposes of more clearly illustrating the present invention, which is adapted to be an improvement over the showing made in application Serial No. 747,009, filed October 5, 1934 of which I am a co-inventer. As will be understood the present invention is more especially directed to a die for folding the transverse end edges of a garment, such as a collar blank after the longitudinal edge and a portion of the tips of the blank have been folded. I have found it necessary to provide a die for the performance of this work to overcome a disadvantage heretofore encountered when folding the end or transverse edge of the collar blank, particularly the selvage end of the corner tip or point, namely, a part of the selvage would protrude beyond the longitudinal edge of the blank, thereby causing a reject of the finished collar after it had been completed.

In the present showing utilization is made of opposed female positioning blocks H, H shaped to freely receive collar blanks or the like l2. Said blocks as heretofore, are readily replaceable will be understood that the present invention is I more particularly adapted to work on a collar. or the like ii! in the second stage of turning and folding the hem edge, that is, namely, after the longitudinal hem edge has previously been turned v and folded in a first operation as disclosed in application Serial No. 747,009 heretofore men tioned.

After removal of the collar blank l2 from the plunger die of the first operation, the blank may be readily placed within the confines of the positioning blocks ll, ll. Said positioning blocks have thereunder a female forming die 43 with a cavity id for receiving the blank. An upstanding end fold of the end margins is obtained by depression of plunger die 15 as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, with said upstanding ends against the vertical end walls 16 of the die l3. Sliding sections or dies [7, I! are positioned between said blocks and upper surface of the forming dies one at each end of the blank, and these sliding sections may now be slid toward each and bend the end margins of the blank inwardly and over a thin portion !3 of the plunger die i5, these in- -ward1y bent margins to be subsequently sewn to form the hems on those edges of the collar blank The sliding sections or dies l7, l! to which the present invention is more particularly directed are each, except for provision of a ramp next the garment-engaging edge of the plate, generally flat on their under or garment-engaging faces, whereby the under-faces may be considered as defining a horizontal plane parallel to or coincident with the plane of the body portion of the collar or the like being folded. Projecting forwardly or in a direction toward the body portion of the collar or the like being folded is a hook and from the hook, beneath the plate as a shoulder at the end of the ramp is a step hereinafter more fully described. This hook and step functions, in operation, during the folding of the end hem or transverse edge IQ of the collar blank l2 at the extreme corner point or tip 23. The fold in the selvage may conveniently receive a pushing movement at its end 28, inwardly and away from the longitudinal hem edge of the collar. In order to accommodate or permit the take-up for the excess material the hem edge is provided with a plurality of V-shaped notches 2 I, one of said notches being considerably larger than the others. In other words, the said larger notch may extend substantially the width of the hem as at 22 as shown in Figures 6 and 7, and permit a differential of positioning of the hem either side of the notch. As the dies I1, I l in operation and by virtue of the hook and step engage with the outer end of the hem which overlies the folded longitudinal hem, the material is pushed inwardly towards the large notch 22 thereby materially closing the gap, as will be seen in Figure '7.

The garment-engaging edge of each plate provides an edge 23 having an angular disposition corresponding to that of the end of the garment, said edge terminating by a forwardly directed hook 25 having an angular disposition corresponding to that of the longitudinal edge of the garment. In the present showing, the collar has a pointed or V-corner and edges 23 and 25' accordingly intersect at the same angle or V-shape. The plate is thinned on its under side next edge 23 to form a ramp surface 26 with a gradual slope from greatest spacing above the general bottom plane next said edge to full thickness merging with the generally flat under surface or plane of the plate a short distance inward from said edge. As the plate is full thickness contiguous to hook 25', the slope of ramp 26 will result in a gradually disappearing shoulder or step 25 on the under face and deepest at the V-corner of the garmentengaging edges. This step stands substantially perpendicular to the ramp and has a depth determined by the difference between the thickness of the main part of the plate and the ramp portion. The angle of this step 25 with respect to the folding edge 23 of the die is obtuse and less than a straight angle in the present showing, and the supplement of that angle will be observed to be more acute than the angle of the point of the finished article. t will be noted said shoulder or step 25 forms an angle, other than a straight angle, with the folding edge 23 of the die and with the forwardly projecting edge of the hook. Furthermore, both of those edges, as well as the step are substantially normal to the said general plane and body portion of the collar or the like. In operation, the die has a compound motion which moves the apex of the angle progressively inward of both the intersecting edges, the end 26 of the end hem being engaged and progressively pushed inward to form an angle to the end of the garment corresponding to the described more acute complementary angle. Accordingly, the step 25 is in engagement with the said short end edge 26 of the end hem and holds it inward from the longitudinally folded longi tudinal edge of the blank so that said end of the hem will not project therebeyond but is, instead slightly depressed from said. longitudinal edge.

It will be observed from a consideration of Figure 4 that after the folds of the blank have been completed, die ll overlies the end fold in addition to which a marginal part of the die next the hook 25 overlies a small portion of the longitudinal hem thereby enabling the step 25 to be in engagement with the short end 25 of the end hem to edgewise retain that end edge depressed behind the adjacent longitudinal edge of the collar. During the folding of the end hem to this position, the end hem has had engagement with the hook 25, which, by virtue of its angular relationship progressively effected the depressing moment or push against said short end 26 of the hem. The ramp or stepped portion 24 of the die accommodates the extra thickness of the material at the point and end edge of the garment,

progressively riding onto the hem and exerting a pressure thereon normal to the plate as well as normal to the direction of sliding of the plate and makes the creasing of the hems above described adequately effective pending subsequent stitching.

This movement of the sliding die I! may be suitably effected by a cam 21 which will actuate the die both inwardly with respect to the end edge of the collar i2, and inwardly with respect to the longitudinal edge of the collar that comes to the corner point or tip. As one specific means for operating die H, the same is shown in Figures 1 and 3 as having upwardly projecting studs 28 which provide lower portions riding in diagonally positioned slots 29 in the positioning block I I and also having upper portions riding in a longitudinal slot 30 of a bar 31. Said bar is pivotally mounted on parallel links 32 whereby a displacing force actuating said bar will swing the bar so as to be always parallel to its initial position. Cam 2'! applies the swinging moment and as bar 3| is displaced, the studs 28 will, by virtue of the longitudinal slot in the bar be actuated in the direction of the diagonal slots, thereby imparting diagonal movement of die I! to fold the end hem and to manipulate the hook 25' into depressing engagement with the end portion of said end hem and finally to retain the depressed condition of the said end portion of the end hem by engagement of the step 25 therewith.

I claim:

1. An infolding die for the hems of collars and the like, comprising a plate having an underside defining in general an under plane which in operation is parallel to or coincident with the plane of the body of the collar or the like being folded and providing a first edge parallel to and facing toward the hem fold of the said collar for forwardly engaging a partially folded hem and infolding said hem as the said die is moved forwardly inward toward and over said hem, said die providing a hooked portion projecting from the said first edge of the die in a direction forwardly of said edge toward the body of the collar or the like being folded whereby said hook provides a second edge angularly disposed with respect to the first edge and intersecting the same, one of said edges having a depth depending substantially to said plane in a direction normal to said plane and the other edge next the point of intersection of said edges being spaced above said plane with the contiguous undersurface of the die to such spaced edge sloping rearwardly downward to said plane and forming a shoulder on the under side of said die extending from the said point of intersection rearwardly away from the same and at other than a straight angle with respect to both said edges.

2. An infolding die for the hems of collars and the like, comprising a plate having an underside defining in general an under plane which in operation is parallel to or coincident with the plane of the body of the collar or the like being folded and providing a first edge parallel to and facing toward the hem fold of the said collar for forwardly engaging a partially folded hem and infolding said hem as the said die is moved forwardly inward toward and over said hem, said die providing a hooked portion projecting from the said first edge of the die in a direction forwardly of said edge toward the body of the collar or the like being folded whereby said hook provides a second edge angularly disposed with respect to the first edge and intersecting the same, the second said edge having a depth depending substantially to said plane in a direction normal to said plane and the first said edge having a portion next the point of intersection of said edges spaced above said plane with the contiguous under surface of the die to such spaced portion sloping rearwardly downward to said plane and forming a shoulder on the underside of said die extending from the said point of intersection rearwardly away from the same and at other than a straight angle with respect to both said edges.

HOWARD C. UNDERWOOD. 

